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C. F. B. CASPARI.

FRUIT DRIER.

No. 342,243. Patented May 18, 1886.

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No. 342,243. Patented May 18, 1886. v

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES F. BUTTE CASPARI, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SAMUEL L. THELLER, OF SAME PLACE.

FRUIT-DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 342,243, dated May 8. 1835- Application filed March 12, 1886. Serial No. 195,031. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES F. BUTTE Ons- PARI, of the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Fruit-Driers; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to certain improvements in apparatus for drying and preserving fruit, food, or other materials, and depriving the exposed material of moisture by means of currents of air warmed, desiccated, or impregnated with anti-putrescent or other substances.

It consists of a chamber divided by a partition or having a continuous passage from end to end, and provided with supports for trays containing the substances to be treated, passages through which the heated or desiccated air is passed, a furnace and means for preparing the air to be used in the chamber, and a means for producing currents transversely from top to bottom through the trays, and causing the air to circulate in alternately-reversed directions horizontally through the chambers, so as to remove the moisture from the substances to be treated, at the same time exposing them to the influence of the chemicals impregnated in the prepared air.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanation of my invention, Figure 1 is a horizontal section showing the ground plan of the exhaust-chamber and air-channels and other parts. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken so as to show the arrangement of the distributing-pipes in or near the ceiling and other details. Fig. 3 is avertical section taken through the drying-chamber, stove, and draft apparatus or fan. Fig. 4. is an enlarged transverse section showing the mouth of the distributing pipe and wheel. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the stove, the hot-air chambers, and exhaust-chamber, with the fan-wheel F. Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse vertical section of the stove or heater, showing the 'desiccators and other parts.

Figs. 7, 8, and 9 show the manner of supporting the trays within the chambers with the turning apparatus on the ceiling. Fig.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged view of one of the turbine distributers o.

H and H is a chamber having any desired length and direction; but it should return upon itself, so that the ends are s1de by side or near each other. The chamber may be provided with transverse diaphragms, by whlch any portion of the length may be out Oh, so as to reduce the size of the chamber when a small quantity of work is to be done.

At one end of the apparatus is a stove or heater, D, into which atmospheric air is drawn through a chimney or flue of considerable height, so as to insure its being pure. This air may pass over the trays E upon each side of the heater, containing any mater al by which the air may be deprived of its moisture. After passing over these trays the air passes in through numerous small pipes or passages into the spaces around the heater, and from this the heated air passes out into a chamber, a u o o, from which it is led through pipes 1' and 8 along the upper part near the ceiling of the drying chamber. Outside of thls chamber u is another chamber, X, where the air which is warmed by'radiation from the heater and the chamber a o is stored, and from which it passes directly into the drying-chamber through openings at t. The twosets of plpes r r and s s, passing along the upper part of the chamber, are of different lengths, wlth outlets equally divided, through which the heated air may be discharged downward into the upper part of the chamber.

Below the stove or heater is a rotary fan or suction wheel, N, revolving in a chamber or passage, F, which communicates with the drying-chambers H and H by means of the ports a and c, and of the pipes n and n, which extend along beneath the floor of the chamber, and have openings or passages 0 0 0 leading into them at intervals from one end to the other. 4

(A) When the fanN is in operation,a draft s produced through the channels a and a and the pipes r or s, and this causes the atmospheric air to be drawn down the entrance- 8. The descending current again performs shaft passing through the desiccators E E, its \YQJk, and passes the saturated air into around the heating-space of the stove D. The 0 0 audit a through a into the suction of the 70 partly desiccated and heated air collects in the fan. This time the general current has been chamber a u v o, and passes through the disfrom 0 around the chamber to ain the directributing-pipes along the ceiling into the drytion of the arrows in the plans reversed. By ing-chamber, circulating downward through this arrangement the general current is passed the exposed material,absorbing as much moistfor a certain time from the heater through one 75 ure as possible, and forming sediments of the of the horizontal drying-chambers away from chemicals it contains. The partly-saturated the heater and returned through the other air enters the openings 0 0, passing through chamber, the transverse currents and distribthe air-channels nand n to-the exhaust-chamuters acting simultaneously, after which the her, from which it is discharged at the periphgeneral current is reversed, the hot air enter- 8ocry of the rotary fan into the open air. It ing the opposite end and flowing back. This r5 will be seen that by this method of drawing prevents a more rapid drying at one end than the air downward instead of allowing it to at the other, and the fruit which is first subrise upward, as is usual in driers, the descendjected to the highest degree of heat is aftering current carries with it all impregnated ward subjected to a lower degree by a re- 85 matter and divides it equally over the whole versal of the current, while that at the oppo- I drying-chamber. The rising warm air from site end is subjected to ahigher degree. The

the tines meets the descending draft, the veheat is also thus applied to the opposite locity of the latter is retarded,and,overcoming sides of the fruit alternately, and is equalizedthe resistance, a most perfect intermixture throughout the whole chamber. 00 takes place, time is allowed and a very heavy The trays are made of galvanized iron wire, 2 percentage of saturation takes place equally upon which the fruit or material to be dried over the exposed material, and all partial is placed, and are supported in any suitable currents and consequent stagnations and imor desirable manner. In the present case I perfect circulation are successfully regulated have shown them about seven feet long and 5 by the influence of the power of the rotary three feet four inches wide, and as having fan. placed bars between them projecting from (13.) The passages which lead from the drytheir sides, which enter spaces between blocks ing-ehambersHand Hinto the exhaust'cham- L L, which are fixed in ropes suspended from ber Fare provided with ports or gates a and c, crosses O in the upper part of the chamber; [00 which are so arranged that when one is closed or the trays may be supported in any other 3 5 the other is opened, and vice versa. These suitable or desirable manner, so that each pile ports are mechanically connected with the can be turned.' slide over the openings of the distributing The smoke-fines of the stove or heater are pipes u u and 'v o and the shutters i i below carried, preferably, beneath the surface of the 105 them. Vhen the port 0 is opened, as shown ground to a chimney which is situated at the 0 in the plans, the distribution-pipes a u are opposite end of the apparatus.

open, likewise the shuttersz' 6 below them, I do not claim, broadly, in this application While the port a, the distribution pipes 11 the means shown for reversing the exhaust- 1;, and the shutters 11 below are all closed. currents of air, as these features form the no The rotary fan is steady at work, unaltered subject-matter of my application Serial No. and uninfiuenced. It produces a powerful 170,914, filed July 7, 1885.

suction-nearly one pound per square inch Having thus described my invention, what and draws the atmospheric air through the I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letair-shaft, the desiccator, and through the ters Patent, is n 5 stove, and deposes the heated desiccated air 1. In a drying apparatus, acontinuous dryinto the hot-air reservoir 10 u v w. The port ing chamber with partlyseparating diaa being opened, the hot air passes through phragm or partition, two series of hot-air the opening u a, and is discharged near pipes of different lengths extending along the the ceiling and hurled over the whole width upper part or ceiling to discharge air at in- [20 by the turbines r 1" r at the mouths of tervals, which passes downward from them, the distributing-pipes. The descending curin combination with a series of exhaust pipes rent of warm air circulates through the maor passages extending along the floor or botterial exposed, and within onehalf a minute tom of the chamber, and having openings it is passing, partly saturated, through 0 O 0 leading into them, and a suction or draft ap- :25 into n and n, and through 0 into the suction of paratus, whereby the current is caused to flow the fan. The general current has been from downwardly through the chamber, substana around the chambers to c. If the port 0 is tially as herein described. closed, the pipes u u in the hot-air reservoir 2. In a drying apparatus, a heater having close,.and also the shutters 2' i 2' below a a. a hot-air chamber connected therewith, hot- 130 The port a opens automatically, and with it air pipes leading along the upper part or ceilmoves the slide over a u and from '0 o. The ing of the drying-chamber, a second series of hot-air reservoir discharges now into the dotpassages or flnes leading along at or beneath ted pipe 1) o, and the air is discharged at s s the bottom of the chamber, and a fan or suction wheel connected with said passages or fines, whereby currents of air are caused to flow transversely downward through the dryingchamber, substantially as herein described.

3. In a drying apparatus, a chamber or chambers separated by a longitudinal diaphragm, and having heat-supplying pipes extending along the upper part of the chamber and exhaust-fines connected with the lower part and with the suction fan, as shown, in combination with a stove or heaterhaving a hot-air chamber connected therewith and 6X- tending across the two ends of the dryingchamber, and a slide whereby the heat passages or pipes communicating with one side of the chamber may be opened, while those communicating with the other side may be closed simultaneously, substantially as herein described.

4. In a drier,the drying chamber or chambers with heat-pipes and discharge-fines extending, respectively, above and below the chambers, and communicating therewith, a heater or stove and desiccating -trays in connection therewith, a separate hot-air chamber, with which the heat-carrying pipes communicate, and a slide by which these pipes may be opened and closed, in combination with asuction fan or wheel rotating within an air-chamher, and passages connecting this chamber with the drying-chamber, said passages having gates so arranged that one may be opened and the other closed, substantially as herein described.

5. In a drying apparatus, and in combination with a drying-chamber and heater, ahotair chamber or receiver intermediate between the two, into which the air is delivered from the heater, within which it may be impregnated with chemicals, and a double series of pipes, r and s, communicating with the receiver, substantially as herein described.

6. In a drying apparatus, and in combination with a drying-chamber or receiver, two series of distributing-pipes of different lengths leading into the drying-chamber, and a slide by which one series of inlet-pipes may be opened and the other closed alternately, substantially as herein described.

7. In a drying apparatus,the turning-crosses suspended from the ceiling, suitable ropes depending therefrom, the blocks secured on the ropes, and the removable trays containing the material to be treated, substantially as herein described.

8. In a drying apparatus, a d1-yingchamber or chambers, a heater from which supply-pipes lead into and alongside the upper part of the chamber, discharge-passages opening into the chambers and along the bottom, and connectis distributed horizontally over the upper part of the chamber, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES F. BUTTE CASPARI.

Witnesses:

S. H. N oUnsE, H. 0. LEE. 

